Signs you are Healing from Trauma

Signs you are healing from trauma include:

1. You are able to acknowledge that you’ve been through something totally life-changing. Something that has shaken up your world. There’s no denial or playing things down.

2. You allow yourself to feel ALL the feelings. This includes the intense, negative, and scary ones. You don’t pretend that you’re OK, or use positive thinking to bypass your unwanted and negative emotions.

3. You accept support. From counsellors, therapists, doctors, or close friends. You know this is too big, and you can’t do it alone. Being traumatized is different from dealing with tough things. It’s a different beast entirely. And a very scary one.

4. You consciously nurture your body and mind. Your autonomic nervous system has been stuck on over-drive. Hence, you know you really need to pay attention to your health. So you rest when you can and you make time for exercise. You eat a healthy diet, and seek medial advice for any side effects of the traumatic response. You also have slowed down, and are skilled at saying ‘no’. You recognize your limits, and have healthy boundaries.

5. You accept that it’s OK to not be OK. You now understand the nature of trauma, grief and loss – which comes in powerful waves, and often unexpectedly. And you’ve accepted the hard truth that this is how it’s going to be – and that healing will take time, and it will follow its own course.

6.  You know you’re not alone. This is a shared experience. There are others in the world who have experienced this as well. They’ve experienced the same symptoms; they’ve reacted similarly.  But you know that they’ve survived … which means that you can survive too.

7. You don’t need to hide the truth; you have worked through the sense of shame. You accept this is your story. One that others wrote for you. But you can hold your head up high, for this says nothing about you – except that you’ve survived, and you’re courageous, brave, and strong.  

That is, you’re not some powerless victim. You have taken back your life.    

“Real healing is hard, exhausting, and draining. Let yourself go through it. Don’t try to paint it as anything other than it is. Be there for yourself. With no judgment.”